Combination food package, shipping, display and heat exchange container and serving tray



COMBINATION FOOD PACKAGE, SHIPPING, DIS- PLAY AND HEAT EXCHANGECONTAINER AND SERVING TRAY David H. Wallace, Annapolis, William E.Valliant and Fletcher Phillips Williamson, Cambridge, and Otto JohnMunz, Annapolis, Md.; said Wallace, Valliant, and Williamson, assignorsto said Munz Filed June 3, 1959, Ser. No. 817,837 6 Claims. (Cl. 99-171)This invention relates to a compartmentalized serving tray food packagedisplay container and shipping container combination for foods such asbivalves and other foods whereby shucked oysters and related mollusksand other fooods may be stored, frozen, displayed, transported andserved therein and eaten therefrom.

It is the general object of this invention to provide an improvedcontainer for foods such as bivalves whereby each bivalve, With orwi-thout its natural juices, can be separately stored, individually, andsealed in an attractive tray which doubles as shipping container, a fooddisplay container, a ready-to-serve food package, a heat exchangemedium, a `food serving tray from which the succulent mollusks may beeaten upon opening the seals.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an im- I nitedStates Patent ICC valve right with said bivalve. It also allows thegourmet refrigerant or heating medium. Bottom cover 9 is then provedcontainer for bivalves having a compartment for the appropriatecondiment in the form of a pressure pot located within the periphery ofeach compartment Whereby the condiment can be released over the bivalvejust prior to eating by application of pressure.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a container of thetype described having a compartment adjacent the cavities wherein asuitable refrigerant can be stored to insure proper freezing of thebivalves.

It is another object of thisv invention to provide a container of thetype described which can be easily stacked one within the other andwhich is durable enough to withstand the rigors of freezing andtransporting.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a container ofthe type described which is inexpensive enough to be disposable upon oneusing and yet capable of re-use if desired.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will be broughtout by the following description in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings in which- FIG. l is a top plan View of the tray container.

FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1, with a bottomcover added to the tray container.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the invention showing an added feature.

Looking now with more particularity at FIGS. l and 2, it is seen thatthe instant invention comprises a tray 1 containing a plurality ofdepressions of concavities 3. These lconcavities 3 are preferably shaped-to form the natural contours of a half shell of the food being stored.As shown in the embodiment the concavities are in the shape of oysterhalf shells. The tray 1 has vertical walls 4 ending in a peripheralflange 2. When the trays are not in use, their configurations lendthemselves to economical stacking by nesting one in the other. A cavity6 is included in the tray for use as a storage for the desired sauce orcondiment with which the bivale is eaten. A transparent sheet 5 ofappropriate material serves to cover the top of tray 1, sealing eachbivalve in its cavity as will be hereinafter described in greaterdetail. 'I'he bottom of the tray 1 preferably is sealed tight by abottom cover 9 having a flange 10 which interts peripheral ilange 2.

FIG. 3 discloses a refinement in the storage of the sauce or condiment.A small separate-Walled cavity 7 is contained in each of the largercavities 3. This permits placing the exact amount of sauce desired foreach bipressed into place, ilange 10 tting over and locking withperipheral flange 2, providing a water-tight seal. The tray 1 is thenturned right side up and the cavities 3 are each filled with the tfoodsuch as a shucked oyster or the like, with or without the bivalvesnatural juices, as desired. Sheet 5 is then placed over the top of tray,1. Optionally, this may be done under vacuum. Sheet 5 is preferablytransparent, thin and made of a suitable thermoplastic materialcompatible to coalescing Iwith the tray 1 and forming a hermetical sealupon application of heat and pressure by means of a hot bar or the likeor -by pressure alone. Suitable thermoplastic materials arepolyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, methyl methacrylate, polystyrene, `andsimilar plastics Awhich are non-toxic and do not impart offensiveflavors or odors t-o the food. The tray 1 is preferably made of aheavier gauge thermoplastic material as is bottom cover 9. Tray 1 lwiththe cavities 3 and 6 (and cavities 7 where appropriate) along withperipheral Vflange 2 is made in one integral piece. Suitable dies areused to form the cavities and the entire unit is mold-ed of a pieceunder heat and pressure in a manner well known in the art. When heatsealing sheet S to the top of tray 1, each cavity is preferably sealedaround its entire periphery to avoid leakage in storage or transport. Asshown in FIGS. l and 2, areas 8 are suggested sealing paths. The entireunit can be quickly frozen ybefore or after sealing and stored ortransported, remaining in the frozen state until it reaches its ultimateconsumer. The freezing of the tray prior to its sealing may be Aselectedto avoid heating `of the food during heat sealing.

It is vnot intended that the instant invention should be restricted to-any particular method of sealing the bivalves in place. For example, itis Within the scope of this invention to replace thermoplasticsheet-cover and bottom 8 with a plastic shrinkable bag made of a heatshrinkable lm fabricated lfrom any of a number of numerous polymers,enveloping the entire tray loosely and tight-sealed. Shrinkable plasticbags are available commercially for packaging foodstuffs which canshrink 40 percent or more in every direction. An example of the polymerscapable of such performance are vinylidene chloride-vinyl chloridecopolymers or blends of vinylidine chloride. While these two types offilm fabricated into bags are available commercially, it is possible tofabricate heat shrinkable films from many polymers. The bag isheat-sealed using a hot bar. Heat is then applied in a manner well knownin the art whereby the bag shrinks tightly over the entire unit, sealingin the cavities and the bott-om cover. As an added precaution, a hot:bar can be run over the ribs of the top of tray 1 between each cavityt-o insure hermetical sealing.

It should also be understood that bottom cover 9 may be dispensed withentirely. In such a case, after the bivalves are heat-sealed orotherwise secured in their cavities, the tray can be quick frozen, withor Without refrigerant, until ready for use.

Any of the above embodiments of the invention permit re-use of tray 1;however, the method of manufacture and the material used are such thatthe trays can be economically disposed of after one using.

When the bivalves are to be refrigerated b-ut not frozen, the instantinvention is particularly useful. Under such circumstances, the bivalvesare heat-sealed in place and can be safely transported without danger ofleakage.

While -we have herein `described yand in the drawings 3 shownillustrative embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood thatthe invention lis not limited thereto but is meant to include otherconstructions, arrangements of parts, details and features Withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

, We claim: v

1. A container :for serving food, comprising a body of sheet materialhaving .a planar top and a skirt extending about and depending from theperiphery of `said top, there being a plurality of concavities in saidplanar top, each `separated trom the others by a planar portion of saidtop, each concavity forming a compartment to hold food, said skirtterminating in a plane to Iform ia support for said container and toprovide a space for receiving a heat exchange medium for transferingheat between said food and sa-id heat-exchange medium.

2. A heat exchange package comprising a container body of sheet materialhaving a planar top and a skirt extending about and depending from theperiphery of said top, there being a plurality of concavities in saidplanar top, each separated from the others by `a planar portion of saidtop, each concavity forming a compartment to hold food, said skirtterminating in a plane to form a support for said container and toprovide a space for receiving ya heat exchange medium for transferingheat between ysaid food and said heat exchange medium, the heat exchangemedium disposed in said space, and bottom cover means secured to saidskirt lsealing said heat exchange medium in said space.

3. A food package comprising a container of sheet material having aplanar top and a skirt extending about and depending from the peripheryof said top, there being a plurality of concavities in said planar top,each separated from the others by a planar portion of said top, eachconcavity forming -a compartment to hold food, said skirt terminating ina plane to form a support Ifor said container Iand to provide ya spaceyfor receiving a heat exchange medium for transfering heat between saidfood and said heat exchange medium, food in said concavities and topcover means attached to said container sealing the food airtighttherein.

4. A container as claimed in claim l, said container with food enclosed`within at least one said concavity sealed in, forming an integral unit.

l 5. A heat exchange package as claimed in claim 2, said container withsaid heat exchange medium enclosed therein sealed in, to fform anintegral unit.

6. A combination tray for serving food, a heat exchange package forretaining a temperature of the contents imparted thereto, a 'ood packageand a `display container Kas an integral unit, comprising a containerhaving a planar top with at least one concavity therein, food packed inlsaid `at least one concavity, a skirt extending about and depending'from the periphery of said top and terminating in a plane to form asupport for said container and a bottom space `for receiving a heatexchange medium for transferring heat between said food and said heatexchange medium, `heat exchange medium within said bottornkspace, andcovers yfor the at least one concavity and said bottom spacerespectively, said container with said food, said heat exchange mediumand said covers forming a unit.

References Cited in the vle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,881,873 Newcomb Oct. 11, 1932 2,048,041 Warren et al July 21, 1936V2,674,536 Fisher Apr. 6, 1954 2,678,543 Lapetina May 18, -19542,749,245 Peters June 5, 1956 2,801,930 Paulucci Aug. 6, 1957 2,843,496Altenburg et al July 15, 1958 2,844,268 Lambert July 22, 1958 2,850,391Gunsberg Sept. 2, 1958 2,878,128 Jorgensen Mar. 17, 1959 2,891,870 Selbyet al. June 23, 1959 2,918,379 Lurie Dec. 22, 1959 2,935,206 Smith May3, 1960

1. A CONTAINER FOR SERVING FOOD, COMPRISING A BODY OF SHEET MATERIALHAVING A PLANAR TOP AND A SKIRT EXTENDING ABOUT AND DEPENDING FROMS THEPERIPHERY OF SAID TOP, THERE BEING A PLURALITY OF CONCAVITIES IN SAIDPLANAR TOP, EACH SEPARATED FROM THE OTHERS BY A PLANAR PORTION OF SAIDTOP, EACH CONCAVITY FORMING A COMPARTMENT TO HOLD FOOD, SAID SKIRTTERMINATING IN A PLANE TO FORM A SUPPORT FOR SAID CONTAINER AND TOPROVIDE A SPACE FOR RECEIVING A HEAT EXCHANGER MEDIUM FOR TRANSFERRINGHEAT BETWEEN SAID FOOD AND SAID HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIUM.